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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — crushed
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. capital — a city
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bank — for money
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bank — of a river
  12. key — the most important part
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — the earth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com